Northern Uganda:Understanding and Solving the Conflict

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Northern Uganda:Understanding and Solving the Conflict NORTHERN UGANDA: UNDERSTANDING AND SOLVING THE CONFLICT 14 April 2004 ICG Africa Report N°77 Nairobi/Brussels TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................... 1 I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 4 II. THE ORIGINS OF THE CONFLICT ......................................................................... 2 A. THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE ..................................................................................................2 B. ACHOLI INSURRECTION AND GRIEVANCES ............................................................................3 C. THE LRA INSURGENCY.........................................................................................................4 D. LRA OPERATIONS ................................................................................................................5 1. Leadership and structure............................................................................................5 2. Tactics........................................................................................................................5 3. Abductions.................................................................................................................6 4. The Sudan factor........................................................................................................7 5. The spread of the insurgency outside Acholiland......................................................7 6. Operational vulnerabilities.........................................................................................8 E. THE LRA AND ACHOLI GRIEVANCES....................................................................................9 III. THE FAILURE TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT .................................................. 10 A. POLITICAL USES OF THE CONFLICT .....................................................................................10 1. Acholiland................................................................................................................10 2. The politics of security and opposition....................................................................11 3. NRM politics and the military .................................................................................12 B. THE ARMY’S OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS..............................................................................13 1. From bush army to conventional force....................................................................13 2. Identifying the operational problems.......................................................................13 3. Corruption and its consequences .............................................................................16 IV. FINDING SOLUTIONS............................................................................................... 18 A. A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ................................................................................................18 1. Creating a negotiation opportunity ..........................................................................18 2. Security sector reform..............................................................................................20 3. Humanitarian action.................................................................................................22 B. LONG-TERM RECONCILIATION............................................................................................23 C. INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS.............................................................................................24 1. The Sudan factor......................................................................................................24 2. The U.S. initiative....................................................................................................25 V. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 27 APPENDICES A. MAP OF UGANDA ................................................................................................................28 B. TIMELINE OF THE CONFLICT IN NORTHERN UGANDA ..........................................................29 C. GLOSSARY ..........................................................................................................................32 D. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP .......................................................................34 E. ICG REPORTS AND BRIEFING PAPERS .................................................................................35 F. ICG BOARD MEMBERS .......................................................................................................41 ICG Africa Report N°77 14 April 2004 NORTHERN UGANDA: UNDERSTANDING AND SOLVING THE CONFLICT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS For nearly eighteen years the insurgency of the difficult to place within a coherent strategy aimed Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph at achieving an identifiable political outcome, it is Kony, has produced great suffering in Northern also difficult to develop an effective counter Uganda, including some 1.5 million internally strategy. LRA targeting of the Acholi has created a displaced persons (IDPs). UN Under-Secretary- self-perpetuating cycle of loss, resentment and General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland hopelessness that feeds the conflict but also widens recently termed the situation among the worst the gap between the government and local humanitarian disasters in the world. In February populations. 2004, in one of the most horrific atrocities since the conflict began, the LRA massacred approximately President Museveni pursues a military solution in 200 civilians, revealing serious deficiencies in the part to justify the unreformed army that is a key government’s capacity to defend the population and pillar of his regime. Indeed, the war helps him defeat the insurgency. The conflict seriously justify and maintain the status quo in Ugandan blemishes the record of President Yoweri politics, denying his opposition a power base and Museveni’s National Resistance Movement offering numerous opportunities for curtailing (NRM), which has otherwise brought relative freedom of expression and association in the name stability to the country. The international of “the war against terrorism”. As long as the community has leverage and at least strong situation in the North is dominated by security humanitarian reasons to urge a more politically matters, the monopolisation of power and wealth oriented strategy to resolve the conflict. by Southerners is not put into question. The conflict has four main characteristics. First, it Without the active support of the Acholi, however, is a struggle between the government and the LRA. the government is unlikely ever to defeat the LRA. Secondly, it is between the predominantly Acholi While the political and security configurations of LRA and the wider Acholi population, who bear the conflict need to be changed, Museveni’s the brunt of violence that includes indiscriminate response to international pressure and proposals for killings and the abduction of children to become negotiation such as Washington’s Northern Uganda fighters, auxiliaries, and sex slaves. This violence is Peace Initiative (NUPI) has been sceptical at best. aimed at cowing the Acholi and discrediting the Although the LRA’s desire for genuine dialogue government. Thirdly, it is fuelled by animosity appears minimal, the government has rarely acted between Uganda and Sudan, who support rebellions in good faith when a variety of actors have sought on each other’s territory. Finally, it continues the to promote a settlement. The small likelihood that North-South conflict that has marked Ugandan the LRA will respond to a concerted effort to politics and society since independence. negotiate does not remove the onus from the government to make the attempt. That would signal The LRA insurgency lacks any clear (and to both its opponents and supporters – and to the negotiable) political objective. Its claim to people of Northern Uganda – that it is genuinely represent the grievances of the Acholi people is at pursuing all options. The Khartoum government, odds with its methods. Because LRA actions are Northern Uganda: Understanding and Solving the Conflict ICG Africa Report N°77, 14 April 2004 Page ii the LRA’s only known external supporter, should The role of the international community has been also be drawn into a negotiating strategy. central to the conflict and will be central to achieving a resolution. The government needs to be Most discussion of how to end the conflict centres attentive to the advice of donors, from whom it on the false dichotomy of a military versus a receives approximately half its budget. It has a negotiated solution. Elements of both approaches good record on a number of issues, such as AIDS will be required, along with recognition of the prevention, which disposes the international limitations of each. A purely military solution community positively towards it, but the conflict in could conceivably deal with the immediate the North undoes much of this goodwill. Uganda’s manifestation of Uganda’s northern problem, the friends have an interest and a right to pressure it on LRA, but would make solving the North-South the humanitarian disaster produced by the divide and achieving national reconciliation even continuation of the LRA insurgency.
Recommended publications
  • Towards Sustainable Peace in Uganda?
    TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN UGANDA? - a study of peacebuilding in northern Uganda and the involvement of the civil society during the LRA/ government of Uganda peace process of 2006-2007 Anna Svenson Spring term of 2007 Master thesis Political Sciences, POM 556 Supervisor: Emil Uddhammar TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................................... 7 PART I – INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT AND METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 8 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Purpose and research questions...................................................................................... 10 1.3 Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.4 Disposition ..................................................................................................................... 11 2. METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION ............................................................................ 13 2.1 The project – choice and
    [Show full text]
  • Elite Strategies and Contested Dominance in Kampala
    ESID Working Paper No. 146 Carrot, stick and statute: Elite strategies and contested dominance in Kampala Nansozi K. Muwanga1, Paul I. Mukwaya2 and Tom Goodfellow3 June 2020 1 Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Email correspondence: [email protected] 2 Department of Geography, Geo-informatics and Climatic Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Email correspondence: [email protected]. 3 Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, UK Email correspondence: [email protected] ISBN: 978-1-912593-56-9 email: [email protected] Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre (ESID) Global Development Institute, School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK www.effective-states.org Carrot, stick and statute: Elite strategies and contested dominance in Kampala. Abstract Although Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) has dominated Uganda’s political scene for over three decades, the capital Kampala refuses to submit to the NRM’s grip. As opposition activism in the city has become increasingly explosive, the ruling elite has developed a widening range of strategies to try and win urban support and constrain opposition. In this paper, we subject the NRM’s strategies over the decade 2010-2020 to close scrutiny. We explore elite strategies pursued both from the ‘top down’, through legal and administrative manoeuvres and a ramping up of violent coercion, and from the ‘bottom up’, through attempts to build support among urban youth and infiltrate organisations in the urban informal transport sector. Although this evolving suite of strategies and tactics has met with some success in specific places and times, opposition has constantly resurfaced.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Report No
    SPECIAL REPORT NO. 490 | FEBRUARY 2021 UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE w w w .usip.org North Korea in Africa: Historical Solidarity, China’s Role, and Sanctions Evasion By Benjamin R. Young Contents Introduction ...................................3 Historical Solidarity ......................4 The Role of China in North Korea’s Africa Policy .........7 Mutually Beneficial Relations and Shared Anti-Imperialism..... 10 Policy Recommendations .......... 13 The Unknown Soldier statue, constructed by North Korea, at the Heroes’ Acre memorial near Windhoek, Namibia. (Photo by Oliver Gerhard/Shutterstock) Summary • North Korea’s Africa policy is based African arms trade, construction of owing to African governments’ lax on historical linkages and mutually munitions factories, and illicit traf- sanctions enforcement and the beneficial relationships with African ficking of rhino horns and ivory. Kim family regime’s need for hard countries. Historical solidarity re- • China has been complicit in North currency. volving around anticolonialism and Korea’s illicit activities in Africa, es- • To curtail North Korea’s illicit activ- national self-reliance is an under- pecially in the construction and de- ity in Africa, Western governments emphasized facet of North Korea– velopment of Uganda’s largest arms should take into account the histor- Africa partnerships. manufacturer and in allowing the il- ical solidarity between North Korea • As a result, many African countries legal trade of ivory and rhino horns and Africa, work closely with the Af- continue to have close ties with to pass through Chinese networks. rican Union, seek cooperation with Pyongyang despite United Nations • For its part, North Korea looks to China, and undercut North Korean sanctions on North Korea.
    [Show full text]
  • I Salute AMISOM Heroes
    16 NEW VISION, Wednesday, June 8, 2016 COMMENT Opiyo Oloya, Letter from Toronto Godfrey I salute AMISOM heroes Beinomugisha omorrow at the national celebration rudely interrupted the welcome ceremony for UPDF marking the 27th Heroes’ Day Anniversary troops at Aden Abdulle Airport on March 6, 2007. Yet, Political expectations in Sii-Bukunja sub-county, Buikwe district, even as they took almost daily fire from insurgents, President Yoweri Museveni will preside Ugandan troops adapted to the urban environment, Tover the honouring of many heroes from expanding the areas under their control to include the of people of Teso region all walks of life in Uganda. immediate vicinity of Aden Abdulle Airport, Mogadishu The occasion will also remember the many veterans Seaport, Kilometer 4 (KM-4) junction at the city centre uring the recent general elections, many promises who have served the nation, the continent and the and the presidential palace at Villa Somalia. were made and now three months after, many world in various campaigns to make the world a secure Those small successes encouraged AMISOM to people have their expectations high waiting and safer place for all. Standing tall on this occasion transform into a peacemaking mission. Starting in for the rewards of voting National Resistance will be the men and women who have served as part April 2009, Force Commander Gen. Nathan Mugisha, DMovement (NRM). of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). a veteran of Uganda’s bush war against the Lord’s There was a big improvement and changes in Through their efforts that began nine years ago, on Resistance Army (LRA), began planning to create Teso, formally a stronghold of the opposition.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhist Pilgrimage
    Published for free distribution Buddhist Pilgrimage ew Edition 2009 Chan Khoon San ii Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati. The Gift of Dhamma excels all gifts. The printing of this book for free distribution is sponsored by the generous donations of Dhamma friends and supporters, whose names appear in the donation list at the end of this book. ISB: 983-40876-0-8 © Copyright 2001 Chan Khoon San First Printing, 2002 – 2000 copies Second Printing 2005 – 2000 copies New Edition 2009 − 7200 copies All commercial rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or part, in any form, for sale, profit or material gain is strictly prohibited. However, permission to print this book, in its entirety , for free distribution as a gift of Dhamma , is allowed after prior notification to the author. ew Cover Design Inset photo shows the famous Reclining Buddha image at Kusinara. Its unique facial expression evokes the bliss of peace ( santisukha ) of the final liberation as the Buddha passes into Mahaparinibbana. Set in the background is the Great Stupa of Sanchi located near Bhopal, an important Buddhist shrine where relics of the Chief Disciples and the Arahants of the Third Buddhist Council were discovered. Printed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by: Majujaya Indah Sdn. Bhd., 68, Jalan 14E, Ampang New Village, 68000 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Tel: 03-42916001, 42916002, Fax: 03-42922053 iii DEDICATIO This book is dedicated to the spiritual advisors who accompanied the pilgrimage groups to India from 1991 to 2008. Their guidance and patience, in helping to create a better understanding and appreciation of the significance of the pilgrimage in Buddhism, have made those journeys of faith more meaningful and beneficial to all the pilgrims concerned.
    [Show full text]
  • Uganda Date: 30 October 2008
    Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: UGA33919 Country: Uganda Date: 30 October 2008 Keywords: Uganda – Uganda People’s Defence Force – Intelligence agencies – Chieftaincy Military Intelligence (CMI) – Politicians This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein. Questions 1. Please provide information on the Uganda Peoples Defence Force (Ugandan Army)/Intelligence Agencies and a branch of the Army called Chieftaincy Military Intelligence, especially its history, structure, key officers. Please provide any information on the following people: 2. Noble Mayombo (Director of Intelligence). 3. Leo Kyanda (Deputy Director of CMI). 4. General Mugisha Muntu. 5. Jack Sabit. 6. Ben Wacha. 7. Dr Okungu (People’s Redemption Army). 8. Mr Samson Monday. 9. Mr Kyakabale. 10. Deleted. RESPONSE 1. Please provide information on the Uganda Peoples Defence Force (Ugandan Army)/Intelligence Agencies and a branch of the Army called Chieftaincy Military Intelligence, especially its history, structure, key officers. The Uganda Peoples Defence Force UPDF is headed by General Y Museveni and the Commander of the Defence Force is General Aronda Nyakairima; the Deputy Chief of the Defence Forces is Lt General Ivan Koreta and the Joint Chief of staff Brigadier Robert Rusoke.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethnicity and the Politics of Land Tenure: Reform in Central Uganda
    Working Paper Series ISSN 1470-2320 2005 No.05-58 Ethnicity and the Politics of Land Tenure Reform in Central Uganda: Elliott D. Green Published: April 2005 Development Studies Institute London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street Tel: +44 (020) 7955 7425/6252 London Fax: +44 (020) 7955-6844 WC2A 2AE UK Email: [email protected] Ethnicity and the Politics of Land Tenure Reform in Central Uganda Elliott D. Green1 Development Studies Institute London School of Economics [email protected] 1. Introduction Land tenure reform is certainly one of the most divisive yet important topics in Sub-Saharan Africa today. For countries with high rural populations and high population growth rates, an efficient and fair land tenure system is commonly seen as necessary in order to alleviate poverty and reduce conflict.2 Yet in the central Uganda region of Buganda land tenure has been a heated issue ever since the British created a grossly unequal land tenure system in 1900 that gave large tracts of land to the political elite while turning most Baganda into tenant farmers. While there has been limited success over the past century in limiting the powers of landlords, the system itself has remained. Indeed, Bugandan landlords have been one of the strongest forces in opposition to current attempts at land reform by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Yoweri Museveni. Recent analyses of land tenure reform in Africa often stop here, limiting discussions to landlords and rural elites on one hand vs. the central government and donors on the other.
    [Show full text]
  • Rule by Law: Discriminatory Legislation and Legitimized Abuses in Uganda
    RULE BY LAW DIscRImInAtORy legIslAtIOn AnD legItImIzeD Abuses In ugAnDA Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2014 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom © Amnesty International 2014 Index: AFR 59/06/2014 Original language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo: Ugandan activists demonstrate in Kampala on 26 February 2014 against the Anti-Pornography Act. © Isaac Kasamani amnesty.org CONTENTS 1. Introduction
    [Show full text]
  • Following the Oil Road a Case Study Assessing the Vulnerability of Women Under the Impact of Development-Induced Migration in Western Uganda
    Following the Oil Road A case study assessing the vulnerability of women under the impact of development-induced migration in Western Uganda M.Sc Thesis International Development Studies Catharina Nickel Wageningen University Student number 851018-599-080 July 2016 Following the Oil Road A case study assessing the vulnerability of women under the impact of development-induced migration in Western Uganda Catharina Nickel July 2016 M.Sc. Thesis International Development Studies Communication, Philosophy and Technology Group WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Han van Dijk Examiner: Dr. Gemma van der Haar Copyright 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author. Abstract The objective of this M.Sc. thesis is to assess the vulnerability of women under the impact of the development-induced migration that is currently taking place in the Lake Albert basin in Western Uganda. It provides a “snapshot” of the current situation in Hoima and Buliisa and intends to support the wider documentation of the social implications connected to the envisioned oil drilling activities in Western Uganda. This information will better enable scientists and practitioners to reconstruct the advent of certain social structures, even at a later stage in the process. The research presented builds on well-known studies regarding the relationship between natural resources and conflict. Moreover, it uses common approaches in the field of disaster risk reduction theory to determine the vulnerability of households and individuals. Designed as an exploratory case study, theories are used as a starting point and followed by closer examination of real-life cases, enabling the development of a deeper understanding.
    [Show full text]
  • LRA Uganda Chapter for DASH.Pdf
    Northern Uganda: Protracted Conflict and Structures of Violence The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Matthew Kustenbauder. 2010. Northern Uganda: protracted conflict and structures of violence. In War and Peace in Africa, ed. Toyin Falola and Raphael Chijioke Njoku, 451-482. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2010. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:5128469 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA 19 falola njoku cx3 2/11/10 2:25 PM Page 451 Chapter 19 Northern Uganda: Protracted Conflict and Structures of Violence Matthew Kustenbauder Abstract This chapter identifies reasons for protracted, low-intensity civil war in Uganda dur- ing the last two decades. The first is located in Uganda’s history, in which social, politi- cal, and religious processes established the basic structures of violence that continue to operate in contemporary Uganda, reinforcing cleavages along regional, ethnic, and reli- gious lines. The second is located in the complex balancing act involved in running a modern African state. After providing some historical background that frames the con- flict, the chapter examines how both the NRM government of Yoweri Museveni and rebel insurgent movements have benefited from insecurity in the country. It argues that the government accrued political dividends while the Lord’s Resistance Army gained personal benefits so long as the conflict continued.
    [Show full text]
  • Terrorism in the Name of Religion: with Special Reference to Islam
    Terrorism in the Name of Religion: With Special Reference to Islam Supervisor Researcher Dr. Fr. Tapan C. De Rozario Shah Mohammad Jonayed Associate Professor Masters of Philosophy (M.Phil.) Department of World Religions and Culture Registration No: 38 University of Dhaka Session: 2011-2012 Examination Roll Number: 2 Joining date: 17/07/2012 Department of World Religions and Culture University of Dhaka December,2018 Dhaka University Institutional Repository Terrorism in the Name of Religion: With Special Reference to Islam Thesis re-submitted to the Department of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Masters of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in World Religions and Culture. By Shah Mohammad Jonayed M.PhilResearcher Registration No: 38 Session: 2011-2012 Examination Roll Number: 2 Supervisor Dr. Fr. Tapan C. De Rozario Associate Professor Department of World Religions and Culture University of Dhaka Department of World Religions and Culture University of Dhaka December, 2018 Dhaka University Institutional Repository Terrorism in the Name of Religion: With Special Reference to Islam Dhaka University Institutional Repository Preface All religions preach the gospel of love and it is the foundation of human existence. Without peace, justice and love nations cannot develop, and man- kind can enjoy neither happiness nor tranquility. In order to achieve social stability and world peace, there must be impartiality and harmonious living among nations, among political factions, among ethnic groups, and among religions. It is clear that peace is a divine prize that may come by the way of justice not by the terrorism. If there is religious terrorism there isn’t peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Uganda 2020 Human Rights Report
    UGANDA 2020 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Uganda is a constitutional republic led since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement party. In 2016 voters re-elected Museveni to a fifth five-year term and returned a National Resistance Movement majority to the unicameral parliament. Allegations of disenfranchisement and voter intimidation, harassment of the opposition, closure of social media websites, and lack of transparency and independence in the Electoral Commission marred the elections, which fell short of international standards. The periods before, during, and after the elections were marked by a closing of political space, intimidation of journalists, and widespread use of torture by the security agencies. The national police maintain internal security, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs oversees the police. While the army is responsible for external security, the president detailed army officials to leadership roles within the police force. The Ministry of Defense oversees the army. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Members of the security forces committed numerous abuses. Significant human rights issues included: unlawful or arbitrary killings by government forces, including extrajudicial killings; forced disappearance; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agencies; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; political prisoners or detainees; serious problems with the
    [Show full text]